Plague and taxes: your questions

I’ve had dozens of questions relating to a variety of tax and economic topics. Here are the most common ones. I’m self-employed, a sole proprietor (or in some cases a freelancer or gig worker). Can I apply for unemployment? Yes, you may. In normal circumstances,... Continue

A week of Sundays

When I was just a wee lad seven decades ago, Sundays were different than any other day of the week. For many Americans, Sundays were a day for Church or Temple; we were not a religious family, however, and Sunday services played no major part... Continue

Be grateful for the beauty and mystery of it all

Credo for today Why am I here? Who am I? What do I believe? How shall I live my life? Where do I stand? When do I speak out? Ten Commitments I shall honor Spirit: my God, your God, their gods, and the God within me.... Continue

COVID-19: a war of the worlds

We live in two worlds, the world of the large and the world of the small. The large world includes those things we can see with the naked eye, and the small world includes those things we can see only by using instruments, like electron... Continue

Social distancing

It was hard to miss the chatter about the Valley’s Affordable Housing Crisis swamping the news feeds on our Devices, which is where we frequently get our news these days, what with coronavirus and all. But when all is said and done, there are only... Continue

The coronavirus and your taxes

The Shelter in Place mandate is in place, and it’s a little freaky out there. All these crazy changes to our way of life, to our way of shopping (do you have enough toilet paper yet?), to our economy. Temporary, we expect. Of course one... Continue

Communicating with donors during the COVID-19 crisis

There has never been a better time than during this COVID-19 crisis to build meaningful relationships with your donors. But that doesn’t necessarily mean asking donors to step up their contributions to your organization by sending out an eblast to “Donate Now!” Instead, this is... Continue

Tearing the ties that bind

What's to be done when those we love and care about become the potential agents of our own demise? This pandemic presents us with an entirely foreign situation in America, where we have been largely spared the horror and pathos of war and the intimate... Continue

The winter market

What's fresh, and a delicious recipe for sauteed escarole Winter, if we can call it that in the amazing Sonoma Valley, does slow down the growing season, or at least a bit. Soil temperatures are a defining factor in what grows in a given season,... Continue

Coronavirus and your taxes

California is under the Shelter in Place mandate and it’s a little freaky out there. All these crazy changes to our way of life, our way of shopping (do you have enough toilet paper yet?), to our economy. Temporary, we expect. We hope. Of course... Continue

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